Advertising display clock assembly



June 16, 1953 c. GABRIELSEN ADVERTISING DISPLAY CLOCK ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 11 1949 nvmvron. [He/5m? (Seek/Q55 477'0RA/EY June 16, 1953 c. GABRIEL-SEN ADVERTISING DISPLAY cpocx ASSEMBLY 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 11, 1949 INVENTOR. CHE/$704M 6655/5455 Arron/Er governed by a function of time.

Patented June 16, 1953 UNITED EijS PATENT OF FICE ADVERTISING DISPLAY CLOCK ASSEMBLY Christian Gabrielsen, Whippany, N ...J., assignor .to 'RnweManufacturing C0,, 1 10., Whippany, ,N, 'J;,, aac rpmiaition O'f NeW YIk :Application august 11, 1949, SerialNo; 109,713

My invention relates to an improved advertising clock display assembly and more particularly toan advertising display clock adapted to be used in combination with a mirror to produce an eye attracting arrangement and in which an ani- ..mated display is exhibited adjacent the clock .face.

This application is an improvement over my co-pendingapplication Serial No. 6260. filed February 4, 1948, now Patent No. 2,586,641.

Ithas been frequently suggested by the prior .art to associate an animated advertising display coaxial with the axis of the minute and hour hands through a separate transmission driven from the clock motor, so that the display disk would. rotate at a. muchhigher speed than any of the, clock hands. Ordinarily this works well in practice. Unfortunately, however, the large radius of the display disk givesit a large, mechanical advantage, so that when changing displays,orotherwiseehandling the display disk, a rotation of the display disk will strip transmission ears.

Then too, if the display disk becomes warped in handling and touches thev housing, it will stop the clockwork and interfere with the accuracy of the clock. On occasion if the clock motor should stop, users attempt to startthe clock motor by rotating the display disk, leading todifiiculties. The rotation .oftheclock motor is fixed by the clock gear ratio since it must be The rotation of 4 Claims. (01. 4.1-3.4)

the display disk is fixed by thegear ratio between the clock motor and the disk drive. .For. certain types of displays it may be desirable to have a more rapid rotationof thedisplay disk which can not be varied in the constructionv of my copending application. Similarly, in my copending applicationthe direction of the rotation of the disk is fixed and can not he changed for certain types of displays when it is desirableto'reverse the direction of the display disk. 1

One object of my invention is to provide an improved advertising display clock in which the display is driven concentrically about the clock face by a separate prime mover from that employed in: driving the clock. mechanism; whereby 2 thee-hanging of displays will not interfere with the accuracy of the clock mechanism.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple method of driving a rotating disk bearing advertising matter concentric with a clock face sufficiently rapidly to attract the eye of the observer.

Another object of my invention is to provide a display disk positioned for rotation concentric with a clock face in which the direction of rotation. may be simply, conveniently and expeditiously reversed.

Other and further objects of my invention will appear from the following description.

In general my invention contemplates provision of a mirror having a circular clear or unsilvered portion,,together with a plurality of angularly and radially displaced sectors of clear or transparent character. The clock numerals are disposed about the circularclear portion of the mirror. Mounted directly behind the mirror I provide a clockwork driven by any suitable prime mover such as a synchronous electric motor. The hands of the clock and a circular display disk are mounted behind the mirror so that the clock hands may be seen through the central transparent portionwhile advertising matter is moved into view through the sectional clear portions. The advertising matter is printed upon an annular disk-of paper, which disk is constructed to permit its ready insertion into the retaining means carried by a rotating disk mounted behind the clock hands upon a bushing coaxial with the minute and hour hand shafts of the clockwork. A separate motor is positioned adjacent the clockwork and drives the disk at any desired speed which is sufficiently rapid to attract attention,but not so rapid that the advertising matter can notbe readily viewed through the display sectors.

In the accompanying drawings which form part of the instant specification and which are to be read in conjunction therewith, and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:

Fig. l isa front elevation of my advertising display clock assembly showing the mirror with its central circular transparent portion and two transparent sectors displaced angularly and radially from each other, and showing the disposition of the clock numerals and the relationship of the advertising display disk to the transparent sectors. I

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2.2.of Fig.1. I v

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1 and drawn on an enlarged scale.

Referring now to the drawings, a synchronous electric motor 4 is adapted to drive customary clockwork gearing positioned in housing 6 to which the motor 4 is secured. A supporting framework 8 supports the housing 6 and my assembly behind a mirror Hi, and'closely adjacent thereto. The framework 8 is pivoted about pins l2 carried by a bracket 14 secured to the framework I6 of the device which supports the mirror l which may be an automatic merchandising machine or the like. The framework is normally held in a vertical position by means of a thumb screw l8 secured to an upper bracket 20 carried by the framework [6. This construction permits the ready pivoting of the assembly for ease in changing advertising matter carried by the display disk. Positioned below the clock motor and clockwork I provide a second motor 22 formed with a gearbox 24 terminating in a rotary spindle 26 driven by the gearwork within the gearbox 24. Secured to this spindle for rotation therewith is a driving pulley 25. The motor 22 and the gearbox 24 are carried by the frame 8 in fixed relationship to the clock motor and clock gearing. The clock gear housing 6 is formed with a portion 28 through which the minute shaft 30 and the hour hand bushing 32 extend. Around the portion 28 I position a bearing bushing 34 around which a pulley 36 is adapted to rotate. A sheet metal disk 38 is secured to the pulley by means of screws 48. Advertising matter printed upon a thin sheet of flexible material such as cardboard or the like 42 is immovably held in display posi tion by the disk 38. The pulley 36 is driven from the pulley 25 by means of a belt 44. It will be observed that the direction of rotation of the disk 38 may be readily reversed by the simple expedient of crossing the belt 44. 1 An hour hand 46 is secured to the hour bushing 32 and a minute hand 43 is carried by the minute shaft 30. In order to provide a convenient means for setting the minute and hour hands of the clockwork, I provide a setting spindle 50 operated through a setting shaft 52 connected with the spindle 50 by a universal joint 55. The lower end of the setting shaft 52 is provided with a fork normally embracing a' pin 53 when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2. The forked end permits the framework 8 to be readily pivoted away from the mirror for the replacement of advertising display carried by the disk. The set ting shaft 52 is readily accessible from outside the machine. The mirror H3 has its silvering removed in a circular area 54. The minute shaft 39 and the hour bushing 32 are lined up with the center of the circular desilvered portion 54 of the mirror. Clock numerals 56 are formed upon the clear circular portion 54 directly in front of the minute hand 48 and the hour hand 46 so that an observer can readily ascertain the time. An arcuate sector 58 is formed by desilvering the mirror concentric with the circular desilvered portion 54 and through this arcuate sector a portion of the advertising display disk can be viewed. Another arcuate sector 66 is radially displaced from the arcuate sector 58 as well as angularly displaced therefrom, and another portion of the advertising display disk 38 can be viewed through this sector.

In use the mirror carrying framework and pivoted frame 8 and its associated display disk and drive, and clockwork and drive may be placed in any desired position where it may be viewed by the public. As, for example, on an automatic merchandising machine, a lavatory, a powder room, a rest room, or the like, in a position usually occupied by mirrors. The extent of the mirror is such as to provide a generally uninterrupted mirror area of sufficient size to be useful as a mirror. Mirrors have an attraction for most people and few of us pass a mirror without glancing toward it. The thumb screw I8 is unloosened and the framework 8 pivoted downwardly making the display disk readily accessible. Since the disk is of a much larger diameter than the circle swept by the minute hand 48, the advertising display sheet may be readily'placed upon the disk where it is held in position in any suitable manner. The length'of the slogan or advertising matter positioned in the display disk is such that only a segment of it is visible at once. The display disk is rotated sufficiently rapidly by its driving motor 22 that the complete slogan may be read in a comparatively short period of time. Due to the universal reliance of modern man on time, clocks are frequently glanced at, so we have combined in one advertising display intimately associated with the appeal of a mirror, the appeal of movement, the appeal of a clock, plus the suspense engendered by presenting only a fragment of a complete thought. The result is that a persons eye will naturally be attracted to the advertising display and will be retained by the suspense of the movement, which can not be avoided since the advertising matter is in a focal plane very close to the clock hands. Then too, there is a second sector positioned at an angle from the first sector giving the illusion of downward movement while the upper sector gives the illusion of movement from right to left when the disk is rotating in a counterclockwise direction.

It will be seen that I have accomplished the objects of my invention. I have provided an improved advertising display clock in which the advertising display is positioned for concentric movement about a clock face and driven by a separate prime mover from that employed in driving the clock mechanism, so that displays may be readily changed without interference with the accuracy of the clock mechanism. I have provided a simple method of driving a rotating disk bearing advertising matter concentric with the clock face sufficiently rapidly to attract the eye of an observer. I'have provided a rotary display disk positioned for rotation concentric with the clock face in' which the direction of rotation may be simply, conveniently and expeditiously reversed. v

It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed with out reference to other features and sub-combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of my claims. It is further obvious that various changes may be made in windows, the other of said windows having the form of an arcuate segment radially displaced from the first window, clockwork, a first prime mover for driving the clockwork, a housing for said clockwork, means for carrying said housing behind said mirror, clock hands driven by said clockwork positioned adjacent said first window, a disk, means carried by said clockwork housing for rotatably mounting said disk for rotation con centric with the clock hands, advertising matter carried by the disk visible through said arcuate segment, a separate second prime mover, and means for rotating said disk from said second prime mover.

2. An advertising display clock as in claim 1 in which said second prime mover is provided with a shaft, a pulley mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, a second pulley mounted for rotation on said clockwork housing concentrio with the axis of rotation of the minute and hour hands, said disk being carried by said second pulley, and a belt extending between said pulleys whereby said prime mover will rotate said disk.

3. An advertising display clock as in claim 1 in which said clockwork housing and said second prime mover are mounted upon a frame in fixed relationship, and means for pivotally mounting said frame behind said mirror.

4. An advertising display clock including in combination a mirror comprising a sheet of transparent material and a backing of reflecting material, a framework for mounting said mirror, a frame, means for pivotally mounting said frame behind said mirror, readily releasable means adjacent the upper portion of said frame for permitting the upper end thereof to pivot downwardly away from the mirror, said reflecting material being formed with a plurality of openings to provide a plurality of windows, clock numerals carried by the transparent material adjacent one of said windows, the other of said windows having the form of an arcuate segmentradially displaced from said first window, a clockwork housing carried by the frame, clockwork positioned within said housing, clock hands driven by said clockwork positioned adjacent said first window, a second housing, a prime mover positioned within said second housing, a shaft driven by said second prime mover, a pulley carried by said shaft, a disk, a second pulley, means for mounting said disk upon said second pulley, a bushing carried by said clockwork housing concentric with the axis of rotation of the clock hands, said bushing adapted rotatably to support said second pulley, a belt extending between said pulleys for driving said disk from said second prime mover, and an advertising display carried by said disk visible through said second window.

CHRISTIAN GABRIELSEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 586,366 Peterson July 13, 1897 784,539 Blyth Mar. 14, 1905 1,926,467 Vernon Sept. 12, 1933 2,082,612 Bourguin June 1, 1937 2,146,138 Grass Feb. 7, 1939 2,203,245 White June 4, 1940 2,252,347 Luthy Aug. 12, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 509,142 Great Britain July 3, 1939 

